It’s not what’s in auto exhaust but what isn’t that matters

In “To encourage greater usage, should ZEV buy incentives be made part of the sales deal,” I referenced the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) “Charge Ahead California Launches Campaign: Diverse coalition aims to put one million electric cars, trucks, and buses on California’s roads” press release.

In the NRDC release itself, meanwhile, is the pronouncement that, “Cars, trucks, and buses are the single largest source of air pollution in California and are responsible for 34 percent of the state’s soot and smog-forming pollution. A recent MIT study found that traffic pollution causes almost 6,000 premature mortalities annually in California, almost twice the number killed in traffic accidents. Four in ten Californians, more than in any other state, live close enough to a freeway or busy road that they may be at increased risk of asthma, cancer and other health hazards. Lower income households in communities of color tend to live closest to heavily trafficked areas and suffer disproportionately.”

Imagine over a third of all state smog-forming and soot pollution stemming from road-based motorized traffic. Meanwhile, in other states, motor vehicle emissions-control regulations may be equally or less stringent than those in the Golden State. Or, emissions-control systems on motor vehicles in other states may or may not be as advanced, effective or efficient as those in California. So, based on this, it is a straightforward premise that smog-forming- and soot pollution coming from the motor-vehicle sector constitutes at least a third or more of all such pollution. That said, the level of pollution coming from this sector of land transportation, not only is it considerable, truth be told, the situation need not be this way at all.

So, in what ways can noxious emissions from road-centric power vehicles be effectively reduced?

As it pertains to the automotive arena, it is right here that a triumvirate of so-called emissions-lowering measures or methods applies.

The first involves finding and instituting effective approaches that involve reducing the amount of per-capita and aggregate on-road vehicle travel.

Then there is the second approach and that is incorporating application of improved automotive-emissions-filtering-system technologies.

The third, meanwhile, is a multifaceted one with greater attention aimed at efforts to improve vehicle efficiency (miles-per-gallon) ratings which can be accomplished through increased utilization of cleaner-burning fuels, fuel blends and with regard to advancements made in motor-vehicle-engine design.